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Hamid Saleh Haroun al Tahan
Hamid is a halfling sorcerer. Description Personality Hamid is an intelligent, well-manicured halfling sorcerer with draconic heritage. Personable and good-looking, he is determined to do good and to help people. Appearance Hamid is a Egyptian halfling. Golden brown skin, large brown soulful eyes, quite tall for a halfling and a lot less hairy. He likes to be well dressed, immaculate three piece suits are regular attire, and magicks himself regularly to remain put together. He has very neat hair, and is always clean-shaven. When upset, he takes on some characteristics of a brass dragon. Changes in Appearance * Acquired shimmering pearlescent bracers/sleeves called Sleeves of Many Garments in I'm Byron! * Back scar from the freezing plant creature in the Kew Garden tunnels in Carry on Swarming(Fact check needed) * A spiral scar from his left shoulder down his arm after it was crushed by rubble in the Paris catacombs in Feet of Clay. * Tiny scars from glass shards down his back after getting thrown through a shop window by the Lads and Blokes. Described in Disappearing Acts. * Draconic features amplified by Robe of Arcane Heritage in Dishing the Dirt (Fact check needed) described in Homeward Bound). Relationships Zolf Smith Sasha Rackett Bertrand Macguffingham Grizzop drik acht Amsterdam Azu Liliana Beekos Equipment * Light Crossbow * Daggers * Adventuring kit * Lots of Clothing * Sleeves of many garments (belated birthday gift from parents, episode 20) * Robe of Arcane Heritage (described in episode 87) History Family Hamid's family is a very rich and prominent family in Cairo. They own and manage a network of Tahan banks, which have branches in both Cairo and London and presumably more world-wide cities. Hamid's father, Saleh Sr, appears to manage the family empire of banks. Hamid grew up in the large family house in Cairo until he was sent away to boarding school in England at around age 15 and appears to have stayed in England afterwards, owning a comfortable flat in London at the start of the campaign. He is a middle child of five siblings. At the start of the campaign Hamid is 23, and his twin brothers Ishaq and Ismail are still school aged (both 14). Saira is only a few years older than him (27), and Aziza is the eldest sister (33). The oldest al-Tahan sibling is Hamid's brother Saleh jr, who is 40 at the start of the campaign. Warning: Everything below this point contains spoilers! Bloodline Hamid is a sorcerer with a draconic bloodline, and throughout the campaign starts showing signs of slowly becoming more dragon-like. This is first shown in episode 10 (Eels and Dogs and Acid, Oh My!), when his hands turn into claws in a time of high stress. Later, during the events in Paris it becomes clear Hamid is partially resistant to fire and that he can communicate with fire elementals, while his skin starts showing a more brass-like scaly texture in high stress situations. After he acquires the Robe of Arcane Heritage in Homeward Bound, it is revealed that Hamid's family are descendants of Apophis. Additionally, the robe turns Hamid's features more dragon-like while he is wearing it. The fact that he is a descendant from Apophis is later confirmed by Apophis himself in episode 95, Apophis awaits, who instantly recognizes Hamid's heritage and dragon-like nature. However, Apophis requests the group exercises discretion about the familial link between him and the Tahans. Teenage Years and University Hamid studied at the university of Cambridge to learn magic, although he only switched to studying magic later into his studies. He also had a brief period of around 6 months where he studies abroad at the University of Prague. When he was first sent off to boarding school, he had trouble fitting in as he was young and a foreigner, and his English wasn't very good, and he would get bullied. Eventually, he discovered he could prevent being a target when he made friends with his bullies and joined their bullying, which is how he met Gideon Langdon. In episode 95, Apophis Awaits, it is revealed that Hamid and Gideon used to be best friends and even went to Cambridge together. Hamid tried to make new friends at university, which is how he met Liliana Beekos and began a relationship with her. Hamid was a pretty bad student, having no affinity for magic as taught by wizards. One day he discovered he could do magic, but it was much easier and different than the wizards made it out to be, so he stopped listening to his teachers and began to hang out with Gideon a lot more. Gideon still had the habit of going wherever he pleased and making others suffer. In one incident, Gideon and Hamid tried to prank a teacher Gideon hated, and Gideon had Hamid create an alchemic reaction that was supposed to function as a stink bomb. However, Hamid noted the formula down wrong and Gideon doubled all the quantities, and the prank backfired. The professor, a powerful wizard, managed to get most of the class out but not all, and he and several students were killed and hurt. After this incident, Hamid was expelled from university and Liliana broke up with him. Post University After Cambridge, Hamid decides to move down to London and appears to have fallen on hard times, rapidly running out of money, although he owns a London flat. His family historically has a problem with gambling, and the first time we meet Hamid in London he is gambling away his money at a casino. Hamid eventually decides to try to become a better person, to make up for his past mistakes. His family wanted him to become a merchant, but he decides he wouldn't be improving anybody's life by being a merchant and that he should join an adventuring group instead. This is how he eventually ends up joining Zolf's mercenary company a few months after his expulsion from university. Additional Information Hamid is a spontaneous arcane caster. Skills Spells Main Ability Scores Weapons Quotes * (Leaving the casino in his introduction) "No, it, it’s time, it’s time to... to do something else. ... I... huh. I wonder what... happens now. * "Look, it’s very possible to do things that you didn’t mean to, that you didn’t agree with, because someone else bullied you into it or did it without your knowledge." (RQG 13) * "I'm- I just, I feel like, I mean- we've met Sasha's maybe, slightly evil family, Zolf has this weird ring that he doesn't wanna talk about, Bertie has these mysterious lawyers, I just- I should probably just say right now: I got kicked out of university. 'Cause then it won't be surprise when it somehow comes along very soon, maybe." (RQG 19) * "I'd rather die heroically than live my life as a coward." (RQG 23) * (Hamid, to Zolf) “I’ve made mistakes. I did… things. People got hurt. Stuff I regret. I’m trying to make up for them. And we’ve made mistakes! Since we’ve started working together, I know that, I know you feel, like, the things we’re doing aren’t good enough, and I know- you know I feel the same, and I’ve failed and I’ve got hurt and I’ve got other people hurt, and… I haven’t helped when I wanted to help. But- that doesn't mean we should stop trying! We’re just people, we’re all people, and we’re not perfect. It doesn’t- matter, if we make mistakes, what matters is that we don’t give up, is that we keep trying to do good, we keep trying to help, that we make up for the mistakes- we don’t let the mistakes become all we are, we don’t let the mistake be the final thing, the final word on us, we don’t let the mistake be the only thing we ever contributed to this world. Shutting off that computer was not a mistake. It’s led to some consequences, some horrible consequences, but that doesn’t mean it was wrong. And the thing that would be wrong, is giving up on that decision, is letting that be the last thing we do. If we go out there, we keep helping, then that’s… that’s what matters.” (RQG 55) * "I feel like it was all a different… I was so young and stupid, and maybe I still am, but…I’ve changed. I’ve changed a lot. I feel like I see everything a bit more clearly now. Mum and Dad they smoothed it over, they sent me a letter, they said… “Don’t come back until you’ve made something of yourself.”" (RQG 88) * "I’ve been where you are, Saleh. And it’s horrible, and I can’t tell you that it gets easier, and I can’t tell you that you can move past it, but…you have to face it, you can’t run from it. You have to be honest, and you have to work at it. And you have to find ways to be better." (RQG 90) * "You can’t clean something up in the darkness, you have to bring it into the light, you have to face it." (RQG 90) * "I will follow your lead, I will do what you ask me, if you keep me involved. I know that I was a stupid kid, I know that I’ve made my mistakes, but I want you to see the man I have become. Trust me. Saleh, was falling apart under the pressure and what you are doing is incredible. But if this is your plan, you won’t be there to help him afterwards. And this is not, unfortunately, the only problem he has created. If you are dealing with this one, then I will deal with the other part of the situation that he’s gotten himself into, and we need to be coordinated in those responses. Father, let me help you." (RQG 92) * "We’ve all got a past, Azu. We’ve all done things that we’re not particularly proud of." (RQG 93) * "I got kicked out. Liliana dumped me. I left Cambridge behind. I hoped I’d left Gideon behind forever. Sometimes I worried that with Bertie I was getting back into the bad habits, but I tried to be better. I’m gonna keep trying to be better. And I just…I know how easy it is to think that what you’re doing is okay when the people around you are telling you that it’s okay, and you feel like you don’t have a choice, and you feel like just one more thing and you’ll be able to escape. And I…I felt like the same thing happened to Saleh, and I thought I could give him the chance I had. And I see…that I shouldn’t have. And I’m sorry I let you guys down. And if you don’t want to work with me anymore, if you don’t want to be part of an adventuring group with me…I’ll understand." (RQG 95) * (To Apophis) "I have to say, sir, that nothing that we have accomplished would have happened without Sasha. She’s done more than any other person in terms of the accomplishments we’ve made over the last few months. Times when I’ve fallen or started to give up, she’s the one who’s been able to carry on and none of it would have happened without her." (RQG 95) * "She didn't say zero." (After Curie tells Azu the odds of finding Grizzop and Sasha are infinitesimal) (RQG127) 88872C9C-DDDB-4499-BC6D-BE0059091676.jpeg|Art by @uhhhhhhhhh-huh on tumblr. Used with permission. A bust of Hamid Saleh Haroun al Tahan, an Egyptian halfling wearing a dark green suit. His dark hair is slicked back with a single curl over his brow, and he is staring neutrally at the viewer. There are light scales around his eyes and down his nose. The background is an image of brass. Category:Character Category:Player Character